WEB DESIGN COPYRIGHTS the untold debate

[ackotheadvertiser 0]

I think aerin is pretyt right in here. People are really trying hard to do the right design for their site(s), and not being copyrighted is like giving a deer to the lions(tigars, leopards, whatever). Some lazy dude will just copy your design and than start adding maybe some more sofisticated content, and start earning more than you-which is not right. Everything you do in photoshop(or every other software) without using any 'already done' stuff belongs to you, and people should not have the right to copy it. It's like a piece of art.

[Veradesigns 0]

see my logo no copyright but i would have one if i needed to, usual your right nothing is copyrighted because if someone else makes it and you add one single letter you can mark it as yours and nobody can copy it so unless what u got looks exactly like someone else's copyright material and your taking credit for it then its your loss cause you be going to court.

[ackotheadvertiser 0]

I think that in the United States, you can protect your site/company's copyrights(intelectual property) by registering a trademark for your brand. But you probably must to have a company first. That way, you can even pull legal charges if someone is copying what you have been working on/what you own.

[Aurayu 0]

Hmm, i wouldnt say you should abolish copyrights on HTML codes. Some brilliant website designs have been made from comlex HTML and CSS and little use of pictures. If you dont have copyright, then those websites will be stolen on a daily basis. If anything copyright laws on website design is not strict enough! Imagine if you just made so many hundreds of pounds on a design, you would not want it stolen and resold by someone else would you when you could of sold it yourself!

[darasen 0]

Simply saying that something is under copyright does not make it so. I have numerous places where some one places a copyright notice on a template they got from somewhere else wich is often in violation of the templates license more often than not. Content, if original, is certainly protected under copyright law but a web design would be nigh impossible to prove there was any violation in a court of law. And yes I fully support copyright law.

[kittycatlover763 0]

i say screw it as well. no one will know who made certain javascripts code,and yet people who say their codes are copyrighted? pshh,i dont think that the whole wide web are super geniuses who make their own html,css codes and such. i like creative commons destribute,theres a website which i forget,but its much better than coprighted stuff.creative common destribute,is when other people can copy of your work but cannot claim it to be theirs,and other stuff.more people should stop saying that their stuff is COPYRIGHTED because the web design world would be screwed if everyone says that!

[myke 0]

ok i would believe this would be the biggest topic of all time where does the copyrights for any scripting excluding software start and were does it end.

 

its amazing how people can say their html is copyrighted when a few million designers use the same thing, pictures understandale but not html, cgi, javascript, php, asp and all those other scripting related things.

 

 

yeah starting webdesign i took some ideas or plane out copyed the whole page just to get a understanding of it but still.. oh i could swing it the whole other way and say i might be wrong and its www protocal which i highly doubt that.

 

for all te javascripts that i see or used thiers alot of copyrighting going on and where credit due yeah some maybe orginal or simple to do but still when some crazy webdesigner is finding his layout all over the net saying they will press changes or some *BLEEP* like that can blow it out my *bottom*.

 

so i SAY SCREW WWW COPYRIGHTING IN ALL ITS FORMS

 

im with you man, screw copyrighted scripts..

they keep puting their copyrights at script but you can just easy remove it or edit it, and when they found out the you remove the copyright thingy, they will mad at you huhuhu.

[inverse_bloom 0]

It does seem silly that people try to copyright script code, the sheer amount of stuff produced and put on the net would see many close similarity's despite anyone's attempt to keep it totally original. What's to say someone just rearranges the code a bit after obtaining it from its source? You'd have just as much idea that it was actually "copied" as anything else out there. After saying that, for serious coded stuff in say "Java", i think copyrights rules should apply (or maybe not published on the net). I guess we are still waiting for internet laws to evolve some more. Trademarks definitely have their place, without these no company can establish an image that is uniquely their own.

Edited July 25, 2009 by inverse_bloom (see edit history)

[Www.AnthonyLazaroni.Com 0]

IF tis exactly identical, then yah, its gonna be copyrighted, if you want to evade the rules, then just change it enough.

[Soviet Rathe 1]

Copyright on the Web seems to be a difficult concept for people to understand. If you did not write or create the article, graphic, or data that you found, then you need permission from the owner before you can copy it. Remember, when you use someone's graphic, HTML, or text without permission, you are stealing, and they can take action against you.What is Copyright?

Copyright is the right of the owner to reproduce or permit someone else to reproduce copyrighted works. Copyrightable works include:
* literary works such as articles, stories, journals, or computer programs
* pictures and graphics
* blueprints of architecture
* music and song lyrics
* plays and screenplays
* audiovisual recordings such as movies
* sound recordings

If you're not sure if an item is copyrighted, it probably is.

Reproduction can include:

* printing a Web page
* copying the HTML, JavaScript or other code of a page
* downloading an image to your hard drive
* printing an image
Most copyright owners on the Web will not object to personal use of their Web pages. For example, if you found a Web page that you wanted to print, most developers would not find it a violation of their copyright if you were to print out the page.
Copyright Notice

Even if a document or image on the Web does not have a copyright notice, it is still protected by copyright laws. If you are trying to protect your own work, it is always a good idea to have a copyright notice on your page. For images, you can add watermarks and other copyright information into the image itself using special software, and you should also include your copyright in the alt text.
When is it an Infringement?

The most common types of copyright infringement on the Web are images being used on Web sites other than the owners. It doesn't matter if you copy the image to your Web server or point to it on their Web server. If you use an image on your Web site that you didn't create, you must get permission from the owner. It is also common for the text, HTML, and script elements of a page to be taken and reused. If you have not gotten permission, you have violated the owner's copyright.

Many companies take this type of infringement very seriously. About, for instance, has a legal team that handles copyright infringement, and the Fox TV network is very diligent in searching out fan sites that use their images and music and will demand that the copyrighted material be removed.
But How Will they Know?

Before I answer that, keep in mind this quote: "Integrity is doing the right thing even if no one will know".

Many corporations have programs called "spiders" that will search out images and text on Web pages. If it matches the criteria (same file name, content matches, and other things), they will flag that site for review and it will be reviewed for copyright infringement. These spiders are always surfing the net, and new companies are using them all the time.

For smaller businesses, the most common way to find copyright infringement is by accident or being told about the infringement. For example, as an About Guide, we have to search the Web for new articles and information about our topics. Many Guides have done searches and come up with sites that are exact duplicates of their own, right down to the content they wrote. Other Guides have received email from people either reporting a possible infringement, or just announcing the site that turns out to have stolen content.
Fair Use

Many people talk about fair use as if that makes it okay to copy someone else's work. However, if someone takes you to court over a copyright issue, you have to admit to the infringement, and then claim it is "fair use". The judge then makes a decision based upon the arguments.

If you are doing a parody, commentary, or educational information you may be able to claim fair use. However, fair use is nearly always a short excerpt from an article and it is usually attributed to the source. Also, if your use of the excerpt harms the commercial value of the work (along the lines of if they read your article they won't need to read the original), then your claim of fair use may be nullified. In this sense, if you copy an image to your Web site this cannot be fair use, as there is no reason for your viewers to go to the owner's site to see the image.

When using someone else's graphics or text on your Web page, I would recommend getting permission. Like I said before, if you are sued for copyright violation, you must admit to the infringement, and then hope that the judge or jury agrees with your arguments. It's faster and safer to just ask permission.
Disclaimer

I am not a lawyer. The content of this article is for information purposes only and is not meant as legal advice. If you have specific legal questions about copyright issues on the Web, you should talk to a lawyer that specializes in this area.

How to get permission?

It is easy to request permission to use an image or text from a Web site content owner. All you need to do is explain what you want to use the image or text for and ask for permission to use it. I usually simply send email to the Web developer of the page I would like permission from.
Example:
To:____Owner's Name____
Email:____Owner's Email Address____

I, ____Your Name____, request your permission to reprint the following items (described below) on my Web page:
________Your URL________. I intend to use the copy(s) for the following:

__ Personal use
__ Research
__ Commercial use
__ Reporting __ Criticism or Review
__ Education

Item(s) to be Copied
Title:____Title of Article or Image____
URL:____URL of Article or Image____
Describe how the copies will be used:
______________________________________
______________________________________

Requestor Information
Name:____Your Full Name____
Company Name:____Your Company Name____
URL:____Your Web Page URL____
Email Address:____Your Email Address____
Phone Number:____Your Phone Number____
Date:____Today's Date____

Respect Others' Copyright

Other things you might want to include are when you need the permission by, examples of other articles or images you have reprinted, and a description of your Web page or publication.

[user681 0]

all the copyright is just a stupid thing

Not true